Attachment to electric irons



Jan. 7, 1930. w. E. BELCHER ATTACHMENT T0 ELECTRIC IRONS Filed April 10, 1928 Patented Jan. 7, 1930 UNITED STATES WALTER E.

PATENT OFFICE BELGHEB OF WINN IPEG, MANITOBA, GANAJJA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF .TO JOSEPH WOLINSKY, 0F WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA .a'r'rncnnnncr 'ro nnncrarc mom's Application filed April 10, 1928. Serial 170. 268,962.

The invention relates to improvements in I attachments to electric irons and a general obiect of the invention is to provide an attachment which will. act automatically to switch off or break the electric circuit leading to the iron when the same is in a not in use horizontal position and by so doing avoid the possibility of dama ing laundry or starting a fire as at present often occurs where no such device is provided.

A further object is to construct the attachment so that it will be automatically locked in the position above described.

A further object is to provide means associated with the plug carrying the feed wires which will automatically lift the plug and break the iron heating circuit, the raising of the plug occurring immediately the pressure of the hand is released from the handle of the iron. v

A further object of the invention is to construct the attachment such that after unlocking,'a down pressure of the hand on the handle will close the iron heating circuit and the continued down pressure as occasioned in ironing will maintain the circuit closed.

A still further object is to provide means for lockingv the circuit closed upon the iron being placed in an upstanding rested position, this permitting of the initial heating of the iron before it is actually used for ironing puroses. v p A still further object is to construct the appliance so that it can be readily installed on existing irons without requiring material alteration in the structure thereof.

With the above more important objects in view, the invention consists essentially: in-

- the arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which jFig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through the handle, plug and associated parts of the iron, the iron body and other selected parts being shown in side elevation.

Fig. 2is a vertical sectional view through the working parts, the iron appearing in the not in use or rested position.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the iron.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the plug locking member.

1g. 5 1s a vertical sectional view at 55' Figure 1.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the plate secured to the handle. a

Fig. 7 is a horizontal cross sectional view at 77' Figure 1.

' In the drawing like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The body 1 of the iron is of the customary form and contains the usual heating element I not herein shown which has the terminals thereof leading to the stationary contacts 2 and 2, said contacts appearing at the heel end of the iron' as is customary.

To the body 1, a handle supporting bar 3 is fastened by screws 4.- and theends of the bar are up-turned in the manner shown to provide a rear supporting arm 5 and a front supporting arm 6. The front supporting arm is connected by a screw 7 to the handle 8. The rear end of the handle is supplied with an internal cavity 9 and a vertical slot 10 and the upper end of t e arm 5 slidably enters the slot and opposes the outer end of the cavity. A spring 11 is inserted in the cavity, said spring embodying a coil 12 and an extending pair of arms 13 and 14, the arm 13 engaging the handle whilst the arm 14 is hooked over the upper end of the arm 5-. The arrangement is such that the rear end of the handle is pressed upwardly by the action of the spring, it being understood that the screw 7 be sufliciently loose or there be suflicient spring in the arm 6 to permit the rear end of the handle to swing upwardly and downwardly a limited amount.

A substantially L-shaped bracket 15 is bolted or otherwise fastened at 16 to the handle and passes outwardly through a slot 17 provided in the arm 5 and has the down turned outer end thereof fastened by a bolt 18 to the plug 19. This plug is of the usual latter being adapted in the down pressing of the plu to make contact with the contacts 2 and 2 hereinbefore mentioned in the usual manner.

The customary feed wires 24 and 25 lead from a suitable source of current supply to the plu and are connected in the usual manner to t e pairs of spring contacts. The slot 17 obviously limits the up and down movement of the rear end oft e handle and normally the plug is held in its elevated or up disconnected position by the action of the spring, the disconnected position being shown in Figure 1. It will be apparent also that if one down press the handle to overcome the force of the spring, he will cause the plug to move down and such movement will connect the-heating element in the body 1 in circuit with the wires 24 and 25 with the result that the iron will become heated. Conversely, the instant pressure is released from the handle, the spring will raise the handle, lift the plug and disconnect the circuit.

To the rear end of the handle, I secure ermanently a plate 26 which is slotted at 2 to receive the arm 14 of the spring and the bracket and which has the lower end thereof passing to the inner side of the arm 5 and forming a spring arm which terminates in a finger catch 28 underlying the rear end of the handle.

The spring. arm so formed carries a locking finger 29 which in the up position of the handle and consequently of the plug is adapted to enter a locking hole 30 provided in the arm 5 whereby the handle is locked in the up position. From the above structure, it will be apparent that when one wishes the iron to heat, he has to catch the finger piece 28 and force it upwardly towards the handle which movement acts to withdraw the locking finger and permits the handle to be subsequently forced down b hand pressure to effect through the plug, t e closing of the electrical heating circuit. When in the out osition, the looking finger rides the inner ace of the arm 5.

An auxiliary spring 31 is fastened to the handle by the bolt 16 and engages the spring arm. The finger piece 28 is arranged in respect to the handle so that it can be readily raised by the fourth fin er of the hand when the hand is in the act 0 gripping the handle. According to the above arrangement, it is impossible for the iron to be. left in the horizontal lyin position as shown in Figure 1 with the eating coil thereof in circuit through the plug with the feed wires 24 and 25 and one has to designedly unlock the handle and subsequently apply pressure on it in order to maintain the heating circuit closed.

The contacts 2 and 2' are surrounded as is customary by a socket 32, the socket receiving in the usual manner the lower end of the plug. y

In order to maintain the heatlng circuit closed when the iron is in a not in use inclining position such as shown in Figure 2, I have provided the following parts, such parts permitting one to heat the iron prior to use and whilst resting in the inclined position shown.

Electric irons are usually provided with an extending foot 33 suitably fastened to the heel of the iron and which when the iron is in the inclined not in use position serves to elevate the heel of the iron from the underlying support. To this'foot, I attach a plate 34 which is longitudinally slotted as indicated at 35 and is provided with a pair of aligned sleeve like bearings 36 and 37. The bearings receive pivotally the inturned ends of a wire loop 38 which forms a locking member for the plug as shortly described.

The ends of the wire terminate in cranks 39 and 40 positioned substantially at right angles to the loop and adapted to swing through the slot and contact with the foot 33 and so limit the back swung position of the loop, that is, the outswung position of the loop in a direction away from the plug. The wire forming the loop is bent to provide a pair of fingers 41 and 42 extending towards the plug and adapted in the forward swung position of the loop to pass over the up or endof the in pressed plug and hold it locEed in the manner best shown in Figure 2. In this figure, the pairs of spring contacts of the plug are engaged with the contacts 2 2', the plug is held locked in such a position b the fingers 41 and 42 and the loop forms wit the leg :1 support holding the iron in the inclined not in use position.

With a little practice, it will be found comparatively eas to bring the iron to the position shown in igure 2. as it is a simple matter to press the handle by the hand towards the iron body and at the same time upset the iron and effect the locking of the plug by the fingers 41 and 42. Actually, the fingers will be depressed to their lockin position by contact of the loop with the under supportin structure such as the ironing board or wor table. The spring contacts of the plug and the stationary contacts of the iron form in my device a switch controlled by the movement of the handle of the iron which switch is normally open and can be closed readily by manipulating the handle. What I claim as my invention is 1. The combination with an electric heating iron containing a heating element and stationary contacts connected therewith, of front and rear arms secured to the iron, a handle having the forward end thereof secured to the front arm and the rear end thereof shiftable towards and away from the iron and slidably receiving the rear arm and provided with an internal cavity, a bracket permanently secured to the rear end of the handle and passing rearwardly imam through a slot provided in the rear arm, the said slot limiting the swinging move ment of the handle, a spring mounted in the cavity and en aging the handle and the rear arm and hol mg the handle in its limited position away from the iron and a plug secured to the bracket, said plug em odying spring contacts engageable with the former contacts in the pressing of the handle towards the iron and feed wires connected to the spring contacts.

2. The combination with an electric heating iron containing a heating element and stationary contacts connected therewith, of front and rear arms secured to the iron, a handle having the forward end thereof secured to the front arm and the rear end thereof shiftable towards and away from the iron and slidably receiving the rear arm and provided with an internal cavity, a bracket permanently secured to the rear end of the handle and passing rearwardly throu h a slot provided in the rear arm, the said ot limiting the swinging movement of the handle, a

- s ring mounted in the cavity and engaging t e handle and the rear arm andholding the handle in its limited position away from the iron, means releasably locking the rear end of the handle to the rear arm in its limited out swung position from the iron and a plug secured to the bracket, said plug embodying spring contacts engageable with the former contacts in the pressin of the handle towards the iron and feed wires connected to the sprin contacts.

3. 11 an electric iron containing a heating element'connected with stationary terminal contacts carried by the iron, a handle carried by the iron and having the rear end thereof movable towards and away from the iron, means holding the rear end of the handle normally awa from the iron, a plug carried by and movab e with the handle and embodying spring contacts-engageable with the former contacts in the movement of the handle towards the iron and feed wires leading to the spring contacts and 0. lug lockin member pivotally carried by t e heel of e iron and positioned to the rear of the lug and provided with a pair of fingers a a ted to overlie the upper end of the plug at e time the plug'is positioned with t e contact members in engagement.

Signed at Winnipeg, this 25th day of February, 1928.

WALTER E. BELCHER. 

